Friday November 29, 2019 ~ VIEW ROYAL
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
A presentation about the Capital Regional District’s (CRD) goals to improve recycling and reduction of waste material going into the Hartland Landfill was made by Russ Smith, Senior Manager, Environmental Resource Management, Parks & Environmental Services, CRD to View Royal’s Committee of the Whole on November 12.
The afternoon presentation “Solid Waste Management Plan – Round One Consultation” was part of CRD making the rounds to municipal councils in Greater Victoria to present their new strategy for inviting municipalities to enact bylaws that will strengthen the recycling requirements of industrial operations, construction projects and also multi-family housing units.
After collecting public input (online to December 1, 2019) and compiling that into the strategy, presentations will be made in the new year to all councils with a defined proposed strategy aimed at encouraging the creation of bylaws that would serve to reduce waste that goes into the landfill.
This comes long after the success of the curbside blue box program that has been operating for over 30 years. While improvements can still be made by many households for putting out recyclables in their blue boxes ( if you’re not sure what can be accepted in the blue box there’s a handy search tool at https://www.crd.bc.ca/service/waste-recycling/recycle/myrecyclopedia ), the challenge is to reduce overall volume of waste that ends up in the region’s Hartland Landfill. The focus is on reducing the contribution of industrial and construction site waste into the landfill.
Thirty years ago, the amount of garbage contributed to the Hartland Landfill was 671 kg/person. Now the target is to reduce the current amount of waste going into the landfill (380 kg/person) down to 250 kg/person by 2030.
The CRD’s Solid Waste Management Plan was last fully updated in 1995, with amendments made as needed. It’s time for this current overhaul. There will be a two-year pilot program to reduce non-curbside materials with revenues for that achieved through tipping fees (i.e. no direct cost to municipalities in the CRD’s annual levy).
At the present rate, the landfill would be full by 2045 but new initiatives have in mind the goal of extending the life of the landfill to 2100.
Despite current efforts to discourage the inclusion of kitchen scraps in household garbage and on-the-ground efforts like digging deeper into the hillside at the landfill to make more room, it’s still important to reduce the contribution of waste to the site. Waste products are already used to some degree for the creation of by-products (for energy use or sale).
View Royal Mayor David Screech and council appreciated the details and insights of the presentation.
Councillor Gery Lemon asked about where recycling is heading, given that some offshore destinations are no longer accepting material for recycling. Smith admitted to challenges with markets. Some items that can no longer be processed for recycling are being stockpiled for now.
Councillor Ron Mattson asked if disposable items like paper cups from fast-food restaurants are a big part of what ends up in the landfill. Smith says they do see ‘co-mingling of materials’ and hopes they can get businesses on board to reduce that volume.
Councillor John Rogers said the discussion points in the presentation were impressive and that he’s also heard new ideas about recycling efforts from fellow delegates at conferences like that of the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities. He asked how CRD tests the runoff at Hartland Landfill; leachate is retained in a holding pool then discharged to the sewer system, said Smith.
Councillor Damian Kowalewich noted that the CRD’s first priority is to educate youth in the schools and wondered if collaboration had yet been established with school boards.
=== The first version of this article was published on page 3 in the November 15, 2019 weekend edition of West Shore Voice News.